1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrodes, and, more particularly, to monitoring electrodes.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In the US alone, over 350,000 people die annually from Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Many of these victims have no prior warning of heart disease, and 70% die outside the hospital. The only treatment for an SCA victim is to provide an immediate, high-energy electric shock through the heart. Minimizing the time to first shock is critical since, for every minute after 4 minutes, the chances of resuscitation decrease by 10%. If a shock is not applied within 10 minutes, the chances of resuscitation are almost zero.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,281, issued on Dec. 23, 1997, hereinafter “the '281 patent,” the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses the use of prompts to guide a user in assisting an SCA victim. The '281 patent uses impedance values between the electrode pads to determine the stage of a rescue attempt in order to prompt and thereby guide the user. Yet, guidance for the deployment and application of the electrode pads, in a timely manner is not available.